Water borne vessel operation results in emissions to the environment from many different sources. For instance, a power plant of the vessel may burn a fuel source, which results in the release of contaminants to the environment through a power plant exhaust stream. Further, cooling water may be used to cool the power plant during operation, picking up thermal energy and potential inorganic or organic contaminants while being used to cool the power plant. The cooling water may then be discharged overboard resulting in a release of thermal waste and/or other contaminants to the environment. The vessel may have a ballast water system used to take on and later discharge ballast water. The discharged ballast water may or may not contain contaminants, including biological contaminants, such as non-native species and biological pathogens, which may harm the environment in which they are discharged. Further, during vessel operations, waste water, typically divided into either black water or gray water, is produced and discharged overboard with or without treatment. Other waste streams include solid waste, which in some cases is simply thrown overboard and, in other cases, is stored for later disposal ashore or waste oil, which is temporarily stored for later disposal at a shore facility. Other potential contaminant emission sources include liquid waste streams produced while pumping out various tanks, compartments, or areas of the vessel, such as a bilge of the vessel, a cargo slop tank, etc., which are then pumped overboard with or without treatment. Further contaminant emission sources include gases vented from tanks and flue gas from an incinerator.
Emissions from vessels are coming under evermore increasing scrutiny. Thus, various jurisdictions have begun implementing rules to regulate emissions from water borne vessels. Inasmuch as water borne vessels are mobile, difficulties arise in complying with the rules of the various jurisdictions in which the vessel travels. This is especially true for vessels sailing on international routes. Complying with each jurisdiction is a monumental task when one considers that the vessel, at any one time, is mandated to comply with rules promulgated by multiple levels of jurisdictions, such as international, federal, state, and local jurisdictions, which change widely as the vessel travels along its route. Thus, there exists a need for an apparatus and method for effectively managing a water borne vessel's emissions to aid a vessel in complying with vessel emission laws and regulations.